Dog saved from stick in throat scare

A VET said a playful dog had a “miraculous” escape from serious injury after he impaled his tongue on a huge wooden stick he leapt to catch.

Zak, the seven-year-old border collie, was out for a walk in the park with owner Susan Walters, 66, when he lunged up grab a seven inch long stick she had thrown in the air.

Mrs Walters heard the dog yelp and saw there was a bit of blood visible but no stick was to be seen.

She and husband Michael, also 66, thought no more about it until their ex-rescue dog refused to eat, drink or bark afterwards and so the concerned couple took their pet to Blythwood Vets in Uxbridge Road, Hatch End, on Monday, January 20.

Barry Cameron, the vet who operated on Zak, was horrified with what he saw when he opened the dog’s mouth.

“The only clue that there was something inside was a small amount of wood visible just inside the wound,” Mr Cameron said.

“We had no idea this was actually an 18cm stick that had lodged in between his windpipe, oesophagus (food pipe) and carotid artery.

“It was miraculous that Zak did not damage himself more seriously.”

Mr Walters, an optician at a practice in Edgware, said: “It’s unbelievable what happened and we are very lucky.

“It was only a short while ago that a man approached me in a park when I was out walking Zak and told me that his dog had died trying to catch a stick. I thought it would never happen to my dog.

“Zak loves playing with sticks and his favourite game is wrestling with a stick with another dog.”

Mr Walters, of The Broadwalk, Northwood, said: “When we realised that he was not eating, we took him into the vet.

“At first they couldn’t see anything wrong with him either, we had the option to put him on antibiotics and see what happens or for them to operate, as we were going away we thought it best to operate.

“A few hours later, we got the phone call telling us what had happened.”

Zak is well and back to his normal self but has no doubt been left disappointed by the Walters’ decision not throw any more sticks for him.